is a Japanese anthology manga series written and illustrated by Hiroki Endo. It is a collection of various one-shot stories originally published in Kodansha's manga magazines Monthly Afternoon (1995 to 1997) and (1999 to 2001). They were collected in two volumes, released on April 1998 and September 2002.
Overview Hiroki Endo's Tanpenshu is a series of one-shot stories that explore the darker aspects of the human psyche. Each story follows the point-of-view of someone or a group of people of varying backgrounds, including Hiroki Endo himself.
Development
In the play in "For Those of Us Who Don't Believe in God", the story of American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas is recounted. It is evident that Hiroki Endo put effort into his research of the man, as a short bibliography is listed within the manga itself. It is implied that Lucas was the basis for the killer character within the play.
Publication Written and illustrated by Hiroki Endo, the collection of one-shot stories were first published in Kodansha's manga magazines Monthly Afternoon and its spin-off, , from December 25, 1995, to February 9, 2001. Two of the one-shots were winners: "The Crows, the Girl and the Yakuza" won the prize for Autumn 1995, and "Because You're Definitely a Cute Girl", won the grand prize for Winter 1995. The stories were compiled in two volumes, released on April 23, 1998, and September 21, 2002.
In October 2006, Dark Horse Comics announced that they had licensed the manga, simply titled Tanpenshu, for English distribution. Two volumes were released on January 17 and May 30, 2007.
Volumes
Reception
Hiroki Endo's Tanpenshu received positive reviews and has been compared to Endo's more well-known work, Eden: It's an Endless World!.
In a review of the first Dark Horse Comics volume, Katherine Dacey of Pop Culture Shock graded it a B, praising the first story "The Crows, the Girl and the Yakuza" for giving depth to its characters while calling the other stories more "uneven" in its writing. David F. Smith of Newtype USA positively reviewed the first volume, noting the grimness in its stories that, for the first two, "end in tragedy, although knowing that in advance won't rob either tale of its power." He highlighted the final story, "For Those of Us Who Don't Believe in God", for its richness in its characters and dialogue.
In a review of the second Dark Horse Comics volume, Eduardo M. Chavez of Mania graded it an A+, comparing it to Eden with how it "features all the same ingredients that make [Eden] work so well – the violence, the sexuality, the humanity and Endo's strange sense of humor which verges on the perverse at times." He highlighted "High School Girl 2000" and "Hang" as stories that stood out.
Notes
References
Further reading
External links